Tender Turkey Meatballs Recipe in Tomato Basil Sauce

How to easily make tender ground turkey meatballs cooked in a quick and easy tomato basil sauce. Jump to the Turkey Meatballs Recipe or read on to see our tips for making them.

These tender, moist turkey meatballs do not last long in our kitchen. The moment one of us turns away the other quickly sneaks a meatball and before we know it, all that’s left is an empty pan.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: These Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Meatballs with lean ground chicken, parmesan cheese, and a simple garlic and basil tomato sauce. Perfect for making in advance!

How to Make Ground Turkey Meatballs Cooked in a Tomato Basil Sauce

You will love this easy recipe. There are no lengthy cooking times and no need to bake or sear the meatballs in advance. Instead, we make a very simple tomato basil sauce, bring it to a simmer then drop the meatballs right into the simmering sauce. After 25 minutes, they are done.

To make the sauce, cook chopped garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a little olive oil then add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and basil. Then allow the sauce to simmer while you make the meatballs.

For the meatballs, we combine lean ground turkey with breadcrumbs, milk, egg, cheese, and herbs. After forming them into balls, we carefully drop them into the simmering sauce. Simple.

How to Make the Best Turkey Meatballs

For the most tender and light meatballs (using ground turkey, chicken, or beef) you need to have a light touch when mixing and forming. To help with this, we have two tricks:

First, combine all the ingredients before adding the ground meat. You’ll see that in our recipe we mix breadcrumbs, milk, an egg, and herbs together first. That way, when we add the turkey meat, all we need to do is lightly mix.

Second, these meatballs are pretty wet, so they easily stick together when forming. All you need to do is gently form into a ball. From there, just be careful when working with them. For the first 10 minutes of cooking, don’t stir the sauce and let the meatballs be. Once they’ve cooked and firmed up a bit, you can stir normally.

Making Meatballs Ahead of Time

Meatballs are the perfect make-ahead meal. Here are our tips for making them in advance:

Make-ahead sauce: The tomato basil sauce can be made in advance and should last in your refrigerator up to 3 days and in your freezer for about 3 months. We recommend using freezer-safe glass containers, or double layers of freezer bags to store sauces. To thaw, simply leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

Make-ahead meatballs: Arrange shaped and uncooked meatballs in a dish or on a baking sheet, without touching. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Freezing uncooked meatballs: Prepare the recipe through the shaping step. Arrange them on a foil-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Place the frozen meatballs in a freezer container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw meatballs in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

Freezing cooked meatballs: Let the cooked meatballs cool completely, then transfer to a freezer container or food-safe bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Frozen meatballs can be thawed overnight or reheated directly from the freezer. Reheat them in a simmering sauce for 10 to 15 minutes or in a warm oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: This Easy Baked Ziti with Spinach. The pasta is tossed with lots of spinach and artichokes. Plus, we add a layer of creamy pesto in the middle. Delicious!

Recipe updated, originally posted January 2013. Since posting this in 2013, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne

Tender Turkey Meatballs Recipe in Tomato Basil Sauce

PREP 15mins

COOK 35mins

TOTAL 50mins

There’s no lengthy cooking times, no baking and no searing these meatballs. Instead they are simmered in a simple tomato basil sauce. Have a light touch when mixing and forming the meatballs. Also, when you add them to the sauce, be careful not to stir the sauce for about 10 minutes so the meatballs have a chance to firm up. Once they’ve cooked and firmed up a bit, you can stir normally. Serve these alone with a dollop of ricotta cheese, over spaghetti, or with rustic bread.

Directions

Make Sauce

In a large skillet with sides and lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes then cook 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the color turns from bright red to orange, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer. Add the basil sprig then taste for seasoning. Adjust with additional salt if needed. Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

Stir breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, and then let sit 5 minutes. Add the egg, cheese, parsley, oregano, and the salt. Stir until well blended.

Add the ground turkey and use a fork or your fingers to gently mix everything together until combined. For the most tender meatballs, try your best not to over mix.

Wet your hands, and then form the mixture into 1-inch balls. You should get about 24 meatballs.

Gently drop the meatballs into tomato sauce. (It’s okay if some are not completely covered by the sauce). Cover the skillet and cook 20 minutes. Gently shimmy the skillet to move the meatballs around a little and then cook another 5 to 10 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Just before serving, scatter torn basil leaves over meatballs and sauce.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Storing leftover meatballs: Store leftover meatballs in a food-safe container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat over low heat in a saucepan or in the microwave.

Make-ahead sauce: The tomato basil sauce can be made in advance and should last in your refrigerator up to 3 days and in your freezer for about 3 months. We recommend using freezer-safe glass containers, or double layers of freezer bags to store sauces. To thaw, simply leave it overnight in the refrigerator.

Make-ahead meatballs: Arrange shaped and uncooked meatballs in a dish or on a baking sheet, without touching. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Freezing uncooked meatballs: Prepare the recipe through the shaping step. Arrange them on a foil-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Place the frozen meatballs in a freezer container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw meatballs in the refrigerator overnight before cooking.

Freezing cooked meatballs: Let the cooked meatballs cool completely, then transfer to a freezer container or food-safe bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Frozen meatballs can be thawed overnight or reheated directly from the freezer. Reheat them in a simmering sauce for 10 to 15 minutes or in a warm oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values.

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I think I have a new favourite meal. Wow, I’m just trying to cook at home more and helping my Wife with new recipes. I rather have this homemade than go out. Meatballs were impressive! Cooking them from raw in the sauce was the way to go. Unexpectedly had to serve it at last minute to our best friends (Italian). “You must have some Italian blood in you, these are so delicious!” Thanks guys, all your recipes have been a hit.

I made it tonight for a larger dinner party so I tripled the recipe. Very moist indeed and dropping them into the sauce is brilliant. My meatballs were a little bland so I would add more seasoning next time. Perhaps some garlic salt, onion salt and black pepper. Great dish for a large dinner party.

These are just the BEST. I have never had turkey meatballs so moist and flavorful. They will always be a staple in this household! Just to note, the first night I made these I didn’t have any milk on hand, so I decided to use chicken broth. They turned out fantastic! I tried it with milk another time, and I actually thought they were a little too soggy, but still very good. I might try beef broth next time! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!

I’m making these tonight for my boyfriend and his daughter! I am super pumped! We are starting a once a month sunday italian pasta BIG sunday dinner. Your recipe will be the first of this tradition!! Any tips? I’m doubling the recipe..

I already have a go-to turkey meatballs and spaghetti recipe but I was looking for something that cut out the searing step. I was excited to try this out tonight, and I loved it! My husband and toddler also gobbled this up. Definitely easy and will be in the dinner rotation from now on. I’ve really loved every recipe I’ve tried on this website!

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